Liz Truss rules out energy rationing this winter at final Tory hustings
The Conservative leadership frontrunner Liz Truss has ruled out energy rationing this winter as she clashed over the cost of living crisis with her rival, Rishi Sunak.
The foreign secretary rejected the proposal at the final Tory hustings, despite it being a key fall-back measure in the government’s “worst case” contingency planning.
However, Sunak said “we shouldn’t rule anything out” after the French government warned it may have to ration energy, urging company bosses to take steps to curb consumption.
As he made his final pitch to party members, the former chancellor added: “The challenges we face with this crisis are significant. Many European countries are looking at how we can all optimise our energy usage, that is a sensible thing for us to be doing as a country.”
Asked by the LBC broadcaster Nick Ferrari at the last hustings before voting closes on Friday whether she could rule out energy rationing, Truss replied: “I do rule that out. Yes.”
Under the government’s latest “reasonable worst case scenario”, published in August, businesses and even consumers could face blackouts this winter as concerns grow over power supplies.
Officials believe that without energy rationing, the UK could experience blackouts for several days in January if cold weather combines with gas shortages to leave the country short of power.
Gavin Barwell, Theresa May’s former chief of staff, suggested Truss was “crazy” to rule out energy rationing.
He tweeted: “So if it is a cold winter and there simply isn’t enough energy to go round – which is a real risk – we are just going to have random blackouts rather than the government rationing non-domestic use so that vulnerable people don’t find themselves without heating.”
Truss also ruled out a further
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